A Near Miss
Minimbah’s Nature Program is based on the Forest Schools of Denmark. It runs year round, rain or shine and supports the students to develop confidence, motor skills and to make their own risk assessments in wild spaces. It is not unusual to find children several metres up a tree, sliding down gravel slopes or completely covered in mud.
The day begins with a safety meeting at the evacuation point to cover areas of concern (such as slippery paths, loose branches and erosion) and closed spaces. It is then followed by an adapted game of hide and seek to ensure that educators are able to quickly recall all students to the evactuation point. The children are reminded that they are only to climb trees or cross the creek with an adult present, and to maintain three points of contact at all times when climbing.
Artefact 1
The chosen image was taken on my first ‘Creek Day’. It had taken some adjustment to dampen my nerves and learn the ways of the creek. I had already been privy to some impressive climbing skills and was observing two children skillfully making their way over the wooden teepee. Later that day I noticed another educator, reminding the children that they were not to climb the teepee as it was not secure. This was a rule that I had not been aware of until that point. I kept it in mind from then on and took her suggestion that the children only climb objects “with solid roots in the ground” as a good basis for judgement if unsure.
Three weeks into my placement we experienced an extremely near miss when a student opposed the teachers’ warnings and climbed the tepee when she was otherwise occupied. A branch shifted and he fell, luckily only sustaining a few scratches and a very bruised ego. After a thorough first aid inspection, my mentors decided that this warranted a class wide intervention. They enacted their emergency procedure and called all students and staff to the evacuation point. Once everyone had arrived, the coordinator ‘L’ announced that it was “not an emergency but a very near miss” and asked all students to follow her to the tepee and take a seat.
After establishing that the student had calmed down enough to speak, ‘L’ asked the student to share what had happened. She did so respectfully, so as not to shame him, but did emphasise the seriousness of the situation. She also asked the class what might happen if someone were to climb the tepee with other students inside? Or if they were to land on a rock or sharp stick? It was clear that the children knew the possible ramifications but needed the reminder to take responsibility for themselves and their peers.
While I was concerned to see a student injured I did take it as a positive learning experience as I had previously been questioning how to emphasise the difference between risky vs reckless behaviour to students.